


Meet Cute

by seibelsays



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:58:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14404536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seibelsays/pseuds/seibelsays
Summary: Everyone Bucky knows is meeting their Soulmate in increasingly ridiculous ways.





	Meet Cute

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey look I soulmate ficed again. Shocker. 
> 
> As always, any and all mistakes are mine.

At 20 years of age, Bucky Barnes wasn’t actively looking for his Soulmate. Most people his age weren’t. He knew a few had paired up, meeting their Soulmate as they went about their days, and had heard plenty of stories of others. The best story he knew happened two years ago to this girl Moira. He’d talked Steve into riding the Cyclone at Coney Island and poor Steve had thrown up all over Moira’s shoes. A man Bucky vaguely recognized from the neighborhood rushed to Moira’s rescue and the rest was history.

Bucky was still laughing when Moira mailed Steve a thank you.

But most days, Soulmates weren’t really the first thing on his mind. And if it was because his words scared the hell out of him, well that was something he was going to keep to himself.

For right now, Bucky was focused on pulling Steve’s ass out of the fire yet again. Getting between him and Jimmy Douglas from three blocks up wasn’t he favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but he really didn’t feel like visiting Steve in the hospital either.

“Scram pal,” he yelled at Jimmy, pulling Steve back. 

Little Annie Davis ran towards Jimmy, trying to grab his arm. “Lay off the little guy, huh?”

“Mind your business, girlie,” Jimmy snarled. Annie looked like she’d been whomped over the head and Bucky could guess why.

It seemed the universe had a terrible sense of humor and Bucky was happy to put off meeting his Soulmate for as long as possible.

***

Bucky kept his eyes moving as he covered Gabe through the main street. Most of the town was already abandoned, of course, but there were a few holdouts and Steve was adamant they get the civilians out before they attacked the HYDRA base in earnest.

Bucky had picked up a few French and German phrases over the last weeks, but Gabe was obviously doing the heavy lifting when it came to sweet talking the locals out of their homes. He’d mostly tuned out the sound of Gabe’s conversations, focusing instead on any hint of movement in the treeline behind the houses they were closest to. 

He caught a quick hand signal from the copse of trees where Steve and the others had taken cover. 

“Hurry it up, Jones. Falsworth’s gettin’ antsy.” 

When Gabe doesn’t reply, Bucky tears his eyes away from the road to glance over his shoulder. Gabe is just...standing there. Staring at the woman who’d answered the door.

“Jones?”

“Soulmate,” Gabe whispered.

Bucky closed his eyes and hung his head. So it was going to be that kind of day.

“Does that mean she’ll be leaving quietly with us?” Bucky asked evenly, tempting fate.

“She’s got her elderly grandparents and her sister’s two children inside.”

“So that’s a no,” he replied and quickly gave the hand signal for “change of plans.” He’d once questioned the necessity of such a signal. It’s probably the one he uses most often.

After he’d received the response signal, he shouldered his gun and turned to Gabe. “She speak any English?”

***

Apparently, the world had learned a few things about Soulmates while Bucky had been held by HYDRA. When Sam had discovered that both Steve and Bucky had Words but hadn’t met their Soulmates in what he was calling their “first lives,” he happily chattered on about all the things that had changed.

It was a bit of a sore point for Sam, as he didn’t have Words like most people. He had Sounds - when he would finally meet his Soulmate, they would both hear bells ringing. Sounds had only recently been declared an “official” Soulbond by science - as if science actually had any say in the matter.

Bucky abscently wondered if Falsworth’s color blindness was actually just another type of Soulbond, but didn’t really want to ask Sam about it. One, because it would encourage Sam, which was never something Bucky did if he could help it. 

More importantly, Bucky hated the entire topic. He actually couldn’t be sure he’d never met his Soulmate. There were still huge gaps in his memory, and who could tell, really? Maybe he’d met them while still being held by HYDRA.

Maybe they’d been a mission. Bucky really preferred not to think about that.

In any case, he avoided the subject as much as possible with Sam Wilson.

The only thing that let him sleep a little easier at night was that Steve hadn’t met his Soulmate yet either. It was entirely possible that both of their Soulmates were 100 years old by now, but it didn’t have to be that way. The universe wasn’t that cruel.

Was it? He remembered thinking on more than one occasion that the universe had a terrible sense of humor, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing evidence that the universe was downright cruel.

Maybe he should find out what happened to Annie Davis.

_Focus._

Now was really not the time to skip down memory lane, plunging into every pothole. Natasha was doing a valiant job in avoiding literal potholes as she raced their SUV after their mark. A few tell-tale pings let him know that they were being shot at, but the SUV’s armor was holding firm.

Just another day at the office, really.

Sam fidgeted in the passenger seat, clearly preferring to give chase under his own power than to cede control to Natasha, but his wings were currently sparking in the back of the car. One of the AIM goons they’d run into while at breakfast had gotten off a lucky shot and grounded Sam before he took flight.

Natasha swerved the car, weaving in and out of traffic, and came terrifyingly close to other cars in the process. Sam was doing his best to stare straight ahead, but then suddenly his head snapped around.

“Stop the car!”

“Kinda busy, Sam.”

“SOULMATE DAMMIT.”

Natasha sighed and dropped her speed. “Good luck,” she said as Sam threw himself out the door and ran back towards a sleek black car.

“Is that...Maria Hill?” Bucky asked, squinting.

“Hm. Cute.” 

“Cut over now, this light is short. Didn’t they meet already?”

She shrugged and spun the steering wheel. “He’s Sounds. Maybe it works differently.”

“You’re Sounds, too. Shouldn’t you know?”

She smirked. “It’s a little hard, when your Soulmate is deaf.”

“Is that what happened in Budapest?”

Natasha glared at him, but said nothing.

Bucky grinned and climbed into the front passenger seat. “How’d that work anyway?”

“I didn’t let Clint argue with me when I informed him he was my Soulmate.”

“Stop.”

She looked at him with a smirk. “No, seriously, I simply -”

“No, STOP!” Bucky pointed at the road ahead where the AIM idiots had set up a haphazard roadblock.

Natasha threw the emergency brake as Bucky leaned out the window with the tranq gun. “We gonna have room for all these guys?” He took aim and proceeded to knock out all five guards without waiting for an answer.

As they piled the guards into the back of the SUV to take to the Tower for questioning, Bucky realized that almost everyone he knew these days had found their Soulmate. 

And if he was feeling a little bitter about his own situation, at least he could commiserate with Steve.

***

Steve nearly pissed himself laughing when Bucky told him how Sam launched himself out of the car to run after his Soulmate. Bucky took the win - they all needed to laugh more.

Granted, most of the people he knew were laughing more these days. Meeting your Soulmate will do that, apparently. Maybe one of these days, Bucky would actually ask one of the scientist types wandering around about it, but until then, that’s the story he’s going with.

And despite his less than stellar feelings about his own situation, he really was happy for them. 

Even if they all were meeting their Soulmates in increasingly ridiculous ways.

A chill went down his spine when he considered the fact that Steve hadn’t met his Soulmate yet and if this trend of crazy meetings keeps up it is guaranteed to be a dozy. It was science or something.

And that random thought made him realize he should probably sleep more.

The alarm klaxons sounded and Bucky sighed. Sleep was for the weak anyway.

He grabbed his gear and made his way to the hangar. He nodded at Natasha as she stowed her gear in her locker, then took his seat to pull up the mission brief while Clint went over final flight checks from the pilot seat. 

“Observatory fire? The hell?”

Steve buckled into the seat next to him as Natasha nodded. “Doctor Jane Foster is working with technology that has the power to rip holes in space. HYDRA and AIM, among others, have expressed interest in acquiring both it and her in the past.” She smirked. “And she’s Thor’s ex.”

Steve and Bucky must have given her the same exasperated look in unison, because Natasha’s smirk didn’t fade for the entirety of the 40 minute flight.

When they landed, the Observatory was almost completely engulfed in flames. After a quick aerial scan to determine the best place to enter the building, Bucky and Steve dropped out of the Quinjet to see if they could get inside. Bucky decided not to comment on Steve’s lack of parachute, but he still glared at him.

Once on the ground, Bucky kicked in the door and rushed inside, Steve hot on his heels. They made their way to the safe room built off of the main laboratory area. 

Steve entered the emergency release code, but the panel shorted out and refused them entry. Bucky groaned and stretched his back muscles while moving into a position to force the door.

Together, Steve and Bucky were able to force open the door after only a few minutes effort. They were greeted by a petite brunette aiming a taser at them. She lowered it almost immediately upon seeing Steve’s shield and she glared at Bucky. 

“Doctor Foster?” he asked. At her nod, he continued. “Anyone else we need to get out of here?”

She shook her head. “No, I sent my lab supervisor off site as soon as we realized we had a breech. Anyone left is not with me.”

Bucky nodded to Steve, who was staring at the doc strangely, but shook himself out of it and led her out of the building, with Bucky pulling up the rear. 

A few steps from the door, Steve stopped suddenly. “This fire seems completely unnecessary.”

“Of course the fire is necessary, no one touches my work!”

The two of them gaped at each other for a moment before Jane launched herself at Steve, wrapping herself around him and giving him the kiss of his life.

Bucky’s jaw dropped as the ceiling collapsed behind him.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

***  
As soon as they landed, Bucky went straight to the gym and filled a bag full of ice to hold against his head. Between the smoke and the adrenaline, he has one hell of a headache.

So of course the damn klaxons go off again. The universe was an asshole.

He drags himself back to the hangar to find Jane Foster demanding to tag along. Her impassioned pleas leave Natasha unmoved but Steve’s a sap and is probably a few seconds away from giving in. He ignored all of them and stepped into the Quinjet.

He dropped into his seat with a grunt and pulls up the mission brief, the deja vu and the headache are conspiring to make the words swim in front his face.

“Where we goin’?” he asked Clint.

“Pick up Foster’s lab supervisor,” the archer (and current pilot) responded as he went through his pre-flight checks for the second time today. “Fair warning, she packs a wallop.”

“Foster?” 

Clint grinned. “No. Darcy.”

Bucky nodded and glanced around. With the latest development in Steve’s life, everyone on the jet had already met their Soulmate, so at least he wouldn’t have to deal with that again today.

He’ll be happy for his friend later. Right now, he just wants to be left alone for 10 minutes so he can take a nap.

When he cracked open his eyes again, they were airborne. Jane Foster was pacing anxiously in front of him while Steve’s eyes followed her. A moment later, Steve noticed Bucky was awake and nodded at him.

“10 minutes out. Looks like Ms. Lewis might have some company.”

“This place going to be on fire too?” Jane and Steve glared at him and he smirked. “Just askin’.”

Jane resumed her pacing and started muttering to herself. “Darcy’ll be fine. We’ve seen worse. Darcy is going to be fine.”

Steve started to fidget and Bucky sighed. Steve has known his soulmate for about an hour and of course he’s already turning into a mother hen. Although he should probably be a little worried about Jane’s claim that they’d “seen worse.”

“Hey Doc, you got a more recent photo of your lab supervisor? The one in the file’s a few years old.”

Jane blinked at him then dug in her pocket for her phone to pull up a photo. Steve gave him a grateful nod as he sat forward to better see the photo Jane found.

And wasn’t that photo a punch to the gut. Mischievous eyes smirked at him from the phone and if he’d met this girl a lifetime ago he’d be in serious trouble.

“This is her?”

Jane nodded. “That’s from her graduation party a few months ago. She just finished her Master’s Degree.” Jane’s voice trailed off as she took the phone back and stared at it with a watery smile. Bucky averted his eyes as Steve leaned over to whisper to her.

When they landed, Steve asked Jane to stay with the jet. She looked like she wanted to argue but stopped herself.

“You remember the layout we went over?” she asked.

Steve nodded and he and Bucky stepped down from the jet.

To be greeted by the sounds of gunfire. Perfect.

Steve and Bucky took off running towards the facility. Bucky kicked in the first door they came to and fought his way inside. 

From there Steve took the lead, having been given specific instructions from Jane on where Darcy was most likely to be. 

Two lefts and a right through hallways that all looked the same. They were about to make a break for the steps to the upper level, when Bucky skidded to a halt. Through the glass, he could see a brunette woman leaning over a desk, punching commands into a computer. 

“In here!” he said to Steve. 

Just then the glass shattered as bullets started flying in their direction. Steve rushed into the lab to grab the woman - presumably Darcy, if the picture Jane showed him was anything to go by - while Bucky returned fire. He glanced over his shoulder to see Darcy arguing with Steve while continuing to punch commands into the computer. 

Keeping up a steady stream of fire to cover his movements, Bucky made his way inside. It was a calculated risk, drawing fire closer to the woman he was supposed to be evacuating and protecting, but clearly Steve wasn’t persuasive enough to get her feet moving. 

“Ms. Lewis we’ve got to go now!” Steve commanded.

“Keep your panties on, Cap - we’ve worked too hard on this to let it fall into AIMs hands. You and Boy Wonder over there keep up the cover and I’ll be done in 45 seconds - 60 if you keep distracting me!”

Bucky glared at her, but kept firing through the doorway, preventing anyone else from entering. 

“Our exit is compromised - any other way out of here?” Steve asked.

Darcy jerked her head towards a door across the room and Steve ran over to check if the way out was clear. 

“Time to go!” Steve yelled.

“10 seconds!” Darcy replied.

Bucky shook his head and grabbed Darcy by the arm, pulling her out of her chair.

 _“Who the hell do you think you are?”_ she yelled.

 _“I’m the one pulling your ass out of an active warzone, sweetheart,”_ he replied, and tossed a grenade in her direction, sending her scrambling away and towards him and the door. Only after all three of them were through the door, down the hall, and covering their ears from the explosion did her Words and stunned expression register.

To her credit, Darcy recovered much more quickly than Bucky. “You have the worst timing, Soulmate. And you owe my mother an apology.”

Bucky groaned internally and prayed to whatever deity might be listening that Steve hadn’t heard that. Nope - Steve’s shit-eating grin could power a small town. Dammit all to hell.

They made their way outside and back to the jet, where Jane was hovering at the ramp. Darcy broke into a sprint and launched herself at the smaller woman, laughing.

Barton took off as soon as Steve and Bucky cleared the ramp. Out of imminent danger, Bucky was suddenly struck with nerves.

He’d finally met his Soulmate.

In the middle of a firefight.

And he’d thrown a grenade at her.

Jesus H. Christ the universe was an asshole. If Darcy didn’t hate him on principle, it would be a miracle.

“So Janey. I have news,” Darcy’s voice pulled him out of his imminent panic attack and her turned away from the wall to face the two women.

“Oh yeah? Me too, actually.” Jane smiled knowingly at Darcy as Darcy threw an arm around Jane’s shoulders.

“Oh really? You go first.” Darcy grinned.

“I met my Soulmate today.”

“Whaaaaat no way,” Darcy droned flatly, the sarcasm thick in her tone. “Me too! Spangles?”

“The very same.”

“Good - if you tried claiming Sargent Dreamboat, you and me were going to have words. Fightin’ ones.”

Bucky looked at Steve in confusion, who just shrugged.

Darcy laughed and released Jane to approach Bucky. “Darcy Lewis,” she said, extending her hand. “Your Soulmate, apparently.”

Bucky blinked. “Bucky,” he muttered in response, shaking her hand.

She smirked when he held on to her hand far longer than was strictly necessary. “Something wrong, handsome?”

“I’m in so much trouble aren’t I?” Bucky asked wryly.

“Oh honey you have no idea,” Darcy replied as she pulled him in for a kiss.


End file.
